CISTERNS

Do you want to work on a project yourself, but need some help? We offer consultation on design & installation.Drop us a line to talk about your project. We've helped scores of our neighbors
create, install, and maintain their catchment systems.

Rainfall in PDX will drop around 30-40 inches of water on your roof this year.1
For an average 2,000 square foot roof (40'x50'), that's over 30,000 gallons. Or nearly 600 gallons on an average week!2

HOW-TO - (A DIY Resource) An exposé on how exactly to accomplish rainwater catchment (and more!). This section is currently under construction.

FAQ's - (A DIY Resource) Our Q&A Library. We aim to answer most questions here regarding the nature of the universe and how it
relates to catching rain. You'll let us know if we've missed something important, yeah?

CONTACTS - How to get a hold of us, and a bunch of other great connections (i.e. links).

Contain Rain is currently working on a few interesting projects in conjunction with collecting rain.

AQUAPONICS: We are currently building barrel-based aquaponic system which uses fish (their waste) to
fertilize plants. It fills with a solar-charged pump and uses bell siphons to drain the water back to the fish tank.
The goal (adding a rainbarrel connected float valve to monitor the overall system water level) is to make this this kit a
"harvest only", turn-key system. 80% reclaimed/repurposed material.

COMPOSTING BINS: Barrels make great compost bins. We have some smaller barrels that will work for this. Currently we are
designing an appropriate and simple rack for this system.

Down the line: In the future, we plan to start R&D on a barrel-based, human powered (think flywheel and bicycle) cob/strawclay/earthen plaster
mixer for faster earthen building construction. Check out Earthen Hand Natural Building for some information about the methods mentioned.
Also we have been drawing up some sketches of a barrle-based VAWT (vertical axis wind turbine) attachment to this system. Whaaaat?!

Let us help you realize your garden water needs. Our goal is to equip Portland with small-scale urban water catchment systems, for water conservation and emergency preparedness.

CONSULTATION & PRICING We offer 1 hour on-site consultations with two rainwater experts for $40 + 50 cents per mile travel.
The catchment cisterns themselves vary in price. Look around for what you need, or call and ask us.
We currently offer brand new totes, used totes, 55g barrels (blue/white/green), and various kits through Contain Rain. Call for details.
No cisterns ever contained ingredients harmful to humans or the environment.
Be wary of inexpensive totes, as they may have contained caustic or toxic material. Always ask what they contained and do not accept a vague answer.
Some sellers bought them cheap and are reselling a a profit and do not know what they contained. Ask for an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet).

CAPACITY
The ability to connect cistern(s)
is limited only to the amount of appropriate space and needs of your garden. Capacities generally available for repurposing are 330g, 275g, and 55g cisterns. They can be linked in any configuration.
IBC totes (275g & 330g) are easy to integrate into any garden and hold as much water as 6 linked rainbarrels. The metal meshing surrounding each provides the ability to attach latticework for
growing creeping vegetables, or to attach camouflage fencing around the cistern.
How much rain should I collect?

MEASUREMENTS330g: 48"-deep by 40"-wide by 54"-high (4' x 3.3' x 4.5'). Surrounded by a 1" galvanized steel support "cage"
(included in the measurements). The 275g tanks are the same depth and width, height is shorter. The intake in the top (hole in the red cap) is a 2" female NPT (National Pipe Thread).
The outlet is on the width plane and is a 2" NPT male industrial plastic, heavy-duty ball valve. The container has a thick plastic 'foot' which steps it off the ground 6" (← 6" included in height measurement).

INTAKE/OVERFLOW METHODIntake depends on your site and gutters. The overflow is often built to fit each system, as cistern placement is unique to each site.
We produce a 2" intake version of the Contain Rain Water Arm
which allows the maximum flow into the tote.

EXTRACTION METHODIBC Totes have a 2" ball valve at the outlet. Some versions come with NPT threads, others do not and require an adapter coupling.
Outlets can be of nearly any variety, but we find our neighbours prefer a
standard 3/4" garden hose
adapter or spigot—connecting their hose directly to the tote.